Help our gs550es

[jharran]

Hello,
My girlfriend has a 1983 gs550es that has chronic problems. It will not run properly when it is hot. Its hard starting, missing and stalling ...and at the end of it you can anticipate a dead battery. I have taken it to two different mechanics and it has come back with the same problems. Carbs have been cleaned, valves adjusted, new battery, new spark plugs, new ignitor box, regulator/rectifier and replace plug between the rec/reg and stator.
I also checked all of the grounds and they seem solid. I saw that you recomend hard wiring any connections from the regulator/ rectifier and I will do this next (unless you think it is fried by now). I currently do not have the $$ for the electrex regulator you recommend and have to wonder if that would really eliminate this bikes demons anyway. I just bought a stator on ebay and await its arrival. If replacing the stator doesnt improve the problems then I am not sure what else to do. Any ideas aside from buying a new bike? And really what are we AND the mechanics missing?

J

[rpickle]

Hi. Well, you didn't mention the coils being replaced. Some of your symptoms point that direction. You may have multiple problems though.

Good luck.

Rick

[rxcrider]

Are all of your issues occuring when the bike is hot? Does it start ok when it is cold? Does it run ok until it warms up? Does it start acting up while you are riding, after idling in traffic or just on a warm restart after heat soaking a bit?

My '85 550E will start missing when idling in traffic, doesn't like hot restarts, and will sometimes have a really high idle when stopping at a light or in traffic after some high speed cruising. I know I need to get my idle mix straightened out, but I am wondering about the coils. The missing seems to occur only after some heat soaking.

[jharran]

It starts okay when cold.
Stalls when hot...trafffic, have to pop start it out of 2nd. But then you ride home and it wont start and the battery is dead.
It seems like on the highway it ""tops off"" as though I cant go any faster but there is clearly room in the gears.
Havent replaced the coils...but I suppose that is next. Any other cheap ideas
I feel like very soon there wont be anything else to replace except the engine ...and if that is the case its going on ebay.

[Knawx]

Stalling when hot etc

Well i got the easy fix when it happened to me. The kid i bought my bike from had a cluster of wires routed over the valve cover. When the wires get hot the OHM load rises when the OHM load rises your spark gets weaker. I was lucky and rerouting the wires solved my issue. I have heard this is a sing that the CDI maybe going out.

[Dave8338]

Sounds like you have a R/R problem or at least a conectivity issue(s) to say the least. Have you run any of the tests in the Stator Papers?

If the bike is not charging correctly and you can bump start it and then when you get home the battery is dead...if you're lucky, you may just need a new Honda unit. They work very well and fit almost perfect.

[GQROD]

Get an r/r from Duaneage it's cheap and works better than the eletrix r/r,
if indeed yours is fried.

Have you done plug chops to ensure your mixture is correct?

Were the carb float heights correctly adjusted ?

Is the petcock vacuum working properly?

Is the vent hole and vent hoses clear of obstruction?

What size jets are in the carbs?

Have you tested the pickup coils, and ignition coils for resistance?

You can also clip 1/4 inch off the plug wires and reinsert the plug caps to make sure you have a good spark, this improved my running a lot.